We Could Be More
by Knope.We.Can
Summary: They've been best friends since college. Just Best Friends. No complications, No jealousy over boyfriends, just plain, simple friends. Until, of course, the awkward almost kiss. Multi chapter fic I'm currently writing with the very talented YouJustGotPitchSlapped. Rated T for language.
1. Whipped Cream

**So this is a new fic I'm working on with the wonderfully talented YouJustGotPitchSlapped. You should all check out her stuff, she's great.**

**Rated T for language.**

**I do not own Pitch Perfect or any of its characters**

* * *

Chloe closed the book and let out a shaky breath.

She had just finished all 313 pages of The Fault in our Stars.

Her sleeve was damp with tears, an empty tissue box was next to her, and the bin was filled to the rim. It took her a couple of seconds to regain composure. Maybe a minute or so. An hour actually. Her mind whirred with all the quotes, all the hilarious jokes and charm - and Augustus Waters. Oh, what she would give to have an Augustus Waters.

Tom, on a very rare occasion could be his own Augustus Waters. When they were not arguing over the tiniest things, he could be charming, good looking, thoughtful. So, she should be glad to have part of Augustus Waters as a boyfriend. Right? It's not like there was a real Augustus Waters out there anyway.

Apart from Ansel Elgort in The Fault in our Stars movie that came out that day.

Oh yes, the movie.

She wasn't sure why she was doing this to herself, in all honesty. It was just more emotional pain she had to bear. More tears, more sadness, more trees cut down. So why was it worth it?

Because you might as well experience everything you can, since Oblivion is inevitable, and John Green is a bloody brilliant author.

* * *

"So he said it was chick-flick-shit?" Beca asked, mopping up the spilt coffee from the counter.

"He said it was chick-flick-shit." Chloe confirmed, leaning against said counter, a defeated look on her face.

"I think it's chick-flick-shit." Beca turned her back on Chloe and began making her coffee. When she turned back she almost jumped in shock at the look the redhead was giving her.

"How dare you insult The Fault in our Stars!"

"What you gonna do, huh Beale? Hit me with the book?" Beca smirked, handing over Chloe's vanilla latté.

"I could literally throw the book at your face and it wouldn't nearly hurt as much as reading it." Chloe grumbled.

"Objection your honor!"

"I promise you Becs, this movie, it will change your life. The book... It's so... So-"

"Sappy?" Beca said, grinning at how much she was winding the redhead up.

"Ugh, Beca just go with me, please?" She said, putting down her coffee so she could clench her hands together on the counter. "Look, I'm actually begging."

"Becs just go to the movie with Chloe." Jesse butted in, shifting to her side as he finished filling a cup with coffee.

"Oh God not you too." Beca groaned, rubbing her hands across her face.

"What? Me and Bree are gonna watch it, so why don't you and Chloe?"

Beca shot him a death glare, which quickly sent him back to serving an impatient customer.

"So, will you?" Chloe asked, her bottom lip protruding.

"No." Beca narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "What are you doing- no don't- don't do that! You can't use that against me like- stop-...stop it! That's not fair! You aren't allowed to do tha-"

A single tear slipped down Chloe's cheek.

"Fine! Fine I'll go just- just stop with the crying! Okay?"

"Okay." Chloe said an enormous grin spreading across her face.

"Why are you looking at me like that? ... Chloe?"

"We totes just repeated the "Okay? Okay." Line from The Fault in Our Stars!" The redhead squealed and pressed a kiss to the brunette's cheek. "See you at 7:30!" Chloe beamed, spilling coffee on the counter that Beca had just cleaned as she skipped out of the shop.

"Dude, you are so whipped." Jesse commented, shaking his head in amusement.

"So sorry, Jess, I didn't quite hear that."

"Oh- oh uh I mean, this cream is, uh, so whipped." He shuffled past her and began cleaning up Chloe's mess.

"That's what I thought."

* * *

Chloe and Beca strolled into the cinema room, and began searching for their seat. Chloe advised that they stay away from the hormonal teenage girls who were already crying.

"My arms-" Chloe said, straining to carry the weight of the food she had bought.

"It's your fault for buying so much damn popcorn." Beca grinned.

"Can you just-"

"Nope, unless I can have half of it."

"Okay, just, help. Please." Beca took the bucket from her. "Thank you." Chloe said with a sigh of relief.

"Holy Crap is there a 1k weight at the bottom of this or something?" Beca asked incredulously.

"Just popcorn Becs, just popcorn."

They shuffled into a comfortable position in their seats, where and Chloe could rest her head on the brunette's shoulder whilst still having access to the immense amount of popcorn. At the beginning of their relationship, Beca would question this kind of physical contact, maybe even reject it. But now? Chloe changed her attitude to the invading of personal space. Now she could tolerate. Tolerate, not enjoy. That's what she told herself anyway.

Chloe reached into her bag and pulled out a box of tissues and placed them on Beca's lap. She put them on Chloe's. It wasn't like Beca would need the tissues anyway.

She was wrong. So, so wrong.

"Let's go watch The Fault in Our Stars she said. It'll be fun she said." Beca weeped in an accusing tone as she tried to wipe away the dripping mascara. "You should have warned me Chlo, you read the book."

"Excuse me, Beca Mitchell, but I believe I told you it would hurt more than throwing the book at your face." Chloe insisted. Luckily she had come prepared and worn Waterproof mascara.

"You said sad. Not soul-crushingly devastating! Fucking Christ I haven't cried like this since...since..."

"Toy Story 3?"

"You promised you would never speak of that again." Beca held her finger up, then burst out laughing when she saw Chloe's face.

"What? ... What Becs?!"

"You look like a depressed panda!" She said, her tears of anguish turning into tears of laughter.

"Oh for God's sake!" Chloe wailed as she looked at her mascara stained hands.

"You need to go get your face fixed. I'll drop you off." Beca pulled her car keys from her pocket.

"No… It's fine!" Chloe smiled brightly. It just didn't reach her eyes.

"Chlo'? What's going on?" Beca asked, genuinely concerned. Chloe never lied to her.

"It's nothing," She said, trying once again to smile convincingly. Beca gave her a sceptical look. "Tom and I fought last night."

"Again? Why don't you just dump his ass already?" Beca said with a sigh.

"Beca." Chloe said, her smile dropping.

"I'm serious, Chloe."

"I can't. He's exactly what I deserve." Her voice had dropped to barely above a whisper.

Beca stared at her in disbelief, completely and utterly horrified that Chloe believe that. "What?! You know, the number of times you come over and tell me of how Tom is a fucking asshole... It- God... Nobody deserves that. Alright? Least of all someone like you." She gripped Chloe's wrist and spun her round. To any onlooker, the hot fresh tears that sprung from her eyes would be from the movie, as pretty much everyone around them was weeping and crying. But these fresh tears were because of that douche. "Oh Chlo..." Beca wiped the tears away with her thumb and frowned. She cupped Chloe's face and stood on her tiptoes so she could plant a kiss on the taller woman's forehead.

Chloe, touched by Beca's thoughtfulness gazed back at her, and could have sworn for a second Beca glanced down at her lips. Their noses centimetres apart and both excitement and fear bubbled up inside her.

Beca leaned forward slightly, her eyes now focused on Chloe's lips...

"Chloe?"

Beca and Chloe sprung away from each other, confused by their actions, and rather annoyed Tom had to show up.

"Yeah Tom?" Chloe asked innocently. Beca had noticed Chloe tense up immediately when she heard her name.

"What the fuck is going on?" He grabbed her hand possessively, pulling the redhead away from Beca.

"Nothing babe, we just went to see a movie."

"With her?" He said disdainfully.

Beca took it as her queue to leave, and spun on her heel towards the exit. She could hear Chloe and Tom arguing.

"She's just a friend Tom!"

Just a friend.

Beca didn't know why, or want to know why, those three words had such an effect on her. They had been Just Friends since College, and there was no reason for that to change now. No complications, No jealousy over boyfriends, just plain, simple friends.

So why the hell was she so angry? A frightening feeling rose up inside her. She quickly pulled out her phone and rapidly typed out a text to Jesse.

**Dude, Code Red, I repeat, CODE RED: I have experienced actual human emotions. – B**

Beca pressed send, and received a response almost immediately.

**What now? Beca Mitchell has a heart? Oh My God, breaking news! – J**

**Shut up Jesse, this is a fucking emergency. – B**

A second later and her phone was ringing, Jesse's name flashing on the screen.

"What's up?" He said, a hint of concern in his voice.

"I... I dunno man. There was this- this moment between me and Chlo' and I have no idea what's going on." Beca said frantically. "Shit, Jesse, I'm totally totally fucked."

"And why might that be?" He said nothing but amusement in his voice now.

"I think... I think I like her. Like, like like her." She said, her voice quivering.

"Thank the Lord, you have finally noticed your megawatt toner for the redhead."

"Oh God, what has Aubrey done to you?" She rolled her eyes and the sound of Jesse's laughter. "Jesse, what the fuck am I going to do?"


	2. Just Friends That's All There Is to It

**A/N: Here's chapter 2! Both YouJustGotPitchSlapped and I would like to thank you for the amazing response we've had for this story. I've never had so many followers from just one chapter before, I was really touched you all responded so positively.**

**I do not own Pitch Perfect or any of its characters.**

* * *

Beca slammed the front door behind her and let out a sound of frustration that was somewhere between a sigh and a growl. Emotions sucked.

She began pacing around her kitchen, muttering things to herself that made absolutely no sense whatsoever. Her phone buzzed in her pocket. It would be Jesse for the millionth time trying to offer her advice on her situation - or, her shituation as she preferred to call it. She pulled the phone out and read the text.

**I can't help you if you don't answer the phone. – J**

Beca tapped out her reply.

**I need to get my head sorted, Jess. I'll call you tomorrow. – B**

A second later, her phone buzzed again.

**Don't over think it! Follow your heart! – J**

Beca rolled her eyes.

**This isn't a movie. – B**

**Dude, just man up and tell her. – J**

Beca scoffed. Easier said than done.

If Beca did indeed have these feelings for Chloe, which, let's be honest, she almost definitely did, there was almost no chance that Chloe would feel the same.

Chloe was in a relationship. Chloe loved Tom. Or so she claimed. Telling her would just ruin the friendship, and make everything even more awkward than it already was. It just wasn't worth the hassle.

_She doesn't like you like that. The chances of her ever falling for you are 0.00001 to nothing._

And that thought felt like a punch to the stomach.

"Why the fuck was I given feelings?!" Beca asked herself in a maddened tone. She had to get out of her apartment. It was too crowded. Too cluttered. She needed to get her head straight. She left her apartment, taking a right and walking down the corridor to the door of the roof. She propped the door open, knowing it didn't open from the other side, and climbed the few stairs to a second door which when opened put you directly onto the roof.

The view from her building really was amazing. It shrunk all her problems until the only thing she could think about was how beautiful the sky looked and how small she was. It was a nice feeling. She sat down and closed her eyes, enjoying the cold wind that whipped against her face.

_Come on, Beca. What do you want?_ She pressed her head against her hands, her fingers pressing into her eyes until lights seemed to pop in front of them. _What do you want?! _She dropped her hands. She could ask herself that question a million times and she knew she would end up with the same answer.

Whether it was as a friend or more, the only thing she was sure she wanted in the world was Chloe.

_God-fucking-damnit_.

* * *

Shouting, Screaming, and Screeching came from both Chloe and Tom as the redhead tried to justify her actions. They had argued the entire way home.

"Tom, stop yelling at me!" Chloe shouted as she stormed into her home, a furious Tom following her. He slammed the door behind him. "There isn't anything going on between us! You know that. I know that! I've known her since colle-"

"Exactly! You've known her since college! Who knows what you two could have gotten up to behind my back!"

"NOTHING! We did absolutely nothing! We hung out, we talked, we did what friends do!"

"Oh, and you think that makes it okay that you almost kissed her?" Tom yelled back taking a step forward which made Chloe instinctively take a step back.

"Tom. Stop it." She said in her calm, teacher voice, trying to calm Tom down.

"What do you want me to do, Chloe? I'm out and I see my girlfriend about to kiss some… some… freak!" He shouted, his face red with anger.

"Don't call her that!" Chloe spat back. "And she wasn't about to kiss me." Her voice was slightly less certain.

"I know what I saw." His voice was calmer but that unnerved Chloe more than if he was shouting. "And you looked pretty disappointed to see me."

"Fucking hell, Tom, I'm not even gay." Chloe said, an exasperated sigh leaving her lips.

"She is though, right?" He said.

"Yes." Chloe said, her voice catching slightly.

"So she's gay. And you're all fucking touchy-feely with her –"

"I'm touchy-feely with everyone." Chloe interrupted.

"No. Not like you are with her. It's no wonder she tried to kiss you." His expression change to one of disgust.

"You're being a real dick, Tom." Tears had sprung to her eyes.

"I'm going to bed." He said. "When you're ready to apologise, I'll be waiting." He left her, slamming the bedroom door when he reached it. Chloe let out a shaky breath and pulled out her phone. She scrolled to Beca's name and was about to hit call when something stopped her. Maybe Tom was right. She was pretty sure that if he hadn't interrupted then Beca would have kissed her. _Would I have kissed her back?_ She didn't know the answer to that question and that scared her a little. She couldn't get the image of Beca's eyes drifting down to her lips out of her head and the same feelings kept coming up. There was fear, first and foremost, but definitely a hint of excitement.

_Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit!_

She had to get the tiny brunette out of her head. Swallowing her pride she ascended the stairs and cautiously knocked on the door of their bedroom before she opened it.

"I'm sorry." She said softly. Tom grinned and pulled her down to the bed, kissing her. His cold hands wandered under her shirt. She felt herself tense up but didn't stop him.

Some twenty minutes later and Tom was passed out beside her, his arm draped over her stomach and his snores filling the room. Beca had been driven temporarily from her mind but now she was back and Chloe had no way of blocking her out.

_Beca doesn't like you that way, and you don't like her like that either,_ she forced herself to believe.

_You're friends._

_Just friends._

_That's all there is to it._


	3. Easier Said Than Done

Despite having concluded that Beca did indeed want Chloe Beale, she decided that it would be best to confide in Jesse the next day, in a last resort kind of way. Hopefully the King of all Movies would have some sort of useful insight on this truly annoying situation.

A girl can only dream.

"Dude, if you don't wipe that freaking smirk off your face, I will do it for you. With a shovel." Beca threatened, glowering at Jesse who hadn't stopped grinning since she had turned to him for help.

"Sorry!" He held up his hands in mock surrender, then added, "I just think it's great you're finally opening up and accepting your feelings."

"God..." She muttered with an eye roll as she wiped the counter. "Tell me Jess, how does Aubrey feel about you having a vagina?"

"The same way Chloe will feel when she finds out that you have a dick." Beca swatted his arm.

"If you and Aubrey had known about my what's-it-called-again?"

"Megawatt toner,"

"For Chloe, since my first year of college, why didn't you give me a heads up, man?" Beca questioned, loading the dirty cups on a tray.

"Come on Becs, we both know your stubbornness would have prevented us from telling you anything," He answered, grinning. "There's no way you've only just realized you're crazy in love with your to-be wife."

"I don't love her..." Beca protested weakly.

"Uh huh." He said. "Either way, you should prepare some kind of grand speech."

She groaned. Beca Mitchell did not do sentimental declarations of love. She hadn't even considered the 'L' word yet, nor did she believe that the bubbly redhead, who was in her own relationship, would ever be, or could ever be, her future wife.

"I am not in love with her." The brunette repeated, more confident.

"You are."

"Am not."

"You are."

"Am not."

"You ar-"

"Jesse!" She snapped. "I am not in love! It's just some stupid crush I've apparently had since freshman year. Probably."

"Whatever dude." Beca heard him mumble. After four seconds, the silence was officially awkward.

"Fine. What do I do." She sighed, a little angry at herself for giving into the urge to impress Chloe.

"Give her some flowers, take her on a walk in the park?" Jesse suggested, shrugging his shoulders.

"Pfft, me? With flowers? As if. Try again." She sighed.

"Write a speech or something? You know, be all romantic."

"But romantic speeches and acts of love only work in movies. I hate to remind you again, Jesse, that we aren't in one." Beca deflected, as she flicked a switch and waited for the cup to fill with coffee.

"This situation is practically a movie! I can imagine the title: 'We Could Be More' written and directed by Jesse Swanson!" Jesse sighed dreamily, as he pondered all the possible scenarios and ways that the redhead and brunette could become an item.

"Jess, this is not helping." Beca said, starting to get annoyed.

"Fine. Do you really want to get over her?" He asked, his tone serious. Beca didn't speak, only giving a barely noticeable nod. Getting over Chloe wasn't the preferred option, but there was zero chance of Chloe reciprocating her feelings. Her chest constricted slightly when Jesse opened his mouth to speak.

"Simple. You tell yourself, every day, every time you see her, that she doesn't want you..." Jesse glanced down at the coffee he was preparing, avoiding eye contact with Beca. "...That she'd never want you. Eventually, it won't hurt anymore."

"And you can guarantee it will work?" Beca was hopeful, it seemed easy. But her voice still cracked knowing it would hurt to do that. In the short-term, it would be painful, but in the long run, it would be worth it, she thought.

"That's what I did with you." He said, his eyes still fixed on the coffee.

"Jesse..."

"It's fine," he reassured her, mentally berating himself for letting it slip. He gave her a smile.

They worked in silence for a while, the background music the clanging of cups, the door ringing every time a horde of girls walked in. It was loud, due to all the chatter, but it was completely quiet between the two best friends. Occasionally, they shot each other glances, before Jesse cracked the silence in half.

"Beca, I know you aren't very open to the idea of lov- liking your best friend in the world, besides me, but you and I both know that you really do like her. I've never seen you act like this over a girl before. You even agreed to seeing a movie with her. A movie, Becs. The signs were clear from the start." Beca groaned. _Damn him for being right._ "You talk to her, you tell her how you feel. If it's meant to be, then it'll be." After a couple of seconds, he exclaimed with a fist pump, "I've finally had a reason to use that movie line!" Beca chuckled, glad they had moved on from the awkwardness.

"Okay, so say I was going to tell her. How would I do that?" She said.

"You just go and tap her on the shoulder and say, "Hey Chlo', I'm in love with you." Casually. You have to say it casually, unless you're gonna add that speech into the mix."

"Can you ever say "I'm in love with you" casually? Like, I'm pretty sure it's impossible. And anyway, I don't love her, remember?" Beca chimed.

"Fine, how about "Hey Chlo', I have a megawatt toner for you." Or, "Hey Chlo', we should make-out some time?"" Beca just laughed again, throwing her towel at him playfully.

Still, Beca had no idea which piece of advice to follow. To ignore her feelings, or to not ignore her feelings?

* * *

1 hour straight of listening to Chloe rant on and on and on about Tom, and how he's a jerk would take its toll on anybody, even Aubrey Posen, who should have adapted to the red head's incredibly fast talking, multitasking, and ramblings. Chloe would be doing dishes, nursing tea, chewing a pencil, grading papers, anything really while chatting about what was new in her life. Sometimes Aubrey worried she would pass out and be taken to hospital from the amount, or lack, of Chloe inhaling and exhaling.

And now, Chloe announced, that she was onto her next topic: Beca Mitchell. The short, rebellious DJ that Chloe seemed to find endless ways to talk about, from the color of her hair, to the almost kiss.

_Wait- what?_

Aubrey scrolled back mentally to when Chloe first mentioned the almost kiss as she continued to ramble.

"-And then there was the almost kiss where me and Becs almost but not really kissed I mean she was about to lean in and then Tom turned up..."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait... You almost kissed?" Aubrey said, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Uh, yeah 'Bree. Keep up." Chloe said, continuing her rapid-fire rant.

"Just, just hold up Chlo'!" Aubrey said, trying to take a mental breath. "Talk me through the kiss again. Like, are you Dixie Chick serious about this?"

"I swear 'Bree, she was going to kiss me." Chloe stated, resting her head on her folded arms across her desk. "Like, with tongues and everything probably." Aubrey couldn't help but laugh at this.

"Chlo', take the dramatics down a notch, okay?" Chloe nodded her head slightly, any head movements restricted by her current position. "Are you sure that you're not misreading the situation or anything?" The redhead looked up to answer,

"I'm pretty certain. And Tom certainly thought so."

"Well if Tom thought it then it must be true," Aubrey countered, her voice laced with sarcasm. A trait she had picked up from Beca.

"Not helping," Chloe mumbled, her voice muffled by her hands that covered her face. Aubrey shifted to Chloe's side so she could rest a comforting arm on her back. In all honesty, the blonde wasn't that surprised at the sudden turn of events. She and Jesse had discussed Beca's secret toner for years. But it certainly seemed like news to Chloe.

"So, how do you feel about this?"

"Oh God don't go all therapy mode on me 'Bree. You are a guidance counsellor for the kids, not teachers." Chloe groaned.

"Sorry Chlo'," Aubrey apologized with a grin. "But really, how do you feel about it?"

"I dunno." Chloe moaned, removing her head from her hands and running them through her red locks.

"Well, did you want her to kiss you?"

"I...I think so?" Chloe scrunched her nose up as she thought, "I mean, I was all caught up in the post-Fault-in-our-Stars trauma and she was saying super sweet stuff to me...and...and then Tom butted in..." She trailed off and let out a string of groans and weird sounds in frustration.

"I know this might seem like a crazy suggestion Chlo'... but maybe you should just talk to her." Aubrey said. slightly exasperated. Chloe quickly shook her head.

"I don't want to make things awkward between us. And she was probably just caught up in the moment too. She doesn't like me like that, we're just friends. I like her, as a friend, of course I mean. I- I'm not allowed to like Beca. She's my best friend, and I'm straight, and I'm in a relationship, I have Tom, and Beca doesn't like me, so I don't like her..." Chloe listed off all the reasons against liking Beca Mitchell on her fingers. Aubrey smirked at Chloe's reaction to her simple suggestion.

"Okay, Chlo'. I get it. You can stop now." Aubrey attempted, but Chloe was on a roll. She was pacing back and forth between the door and the desk Aubrey was sitting next too, quickly moving on to her next hand to count.

"I mean, come on! I can't lik-"

"Stop!"

The redhead finally paused and glanced at the blonde sheepishly. Yes, okay, Chloe can admit she got a bit carried away with the venting. Maybe a lot carried away. This was going nowhere. Absolutely fucking nowhere.

"It's best if it's just left alone." She decided.

"If you say so," Aubrey sighed, a little sadly. She had the overwhelming urge to tell her that she was convinced that Beca liked her but knew it wasn't her line to say. "Why don't you just dump him?" She asked out of the blue after a couple of seconds had passed.

"What?"

"Dump him." Aubrey repeated.

"Who?"

"Who? Who? Are you dating anyone besides Tom?"

"No." Chloe answered quickly, slightly offended.

"Then wh- never mind. Just dump him because he is an asshat." She said, exasperated.

"No he's not." Chloe defends.

"But he is!" She said, about ready to tear her hair out.

"He totes is not!"

"Ugh, I give up. Your almost as stubborn as the midget." Aubrey finally said, defeat evident on her face. "Are you sure about Tom?"

"I am." Chloe confirmed with a solid nod. "You'd better get going. Lunch is pretty much over and you probably have some student who wants to complain about their life to you." And as if on cue, the bell rang out through the entire school. "Thanks for letting me vent, 'Bree." The redhead said sincerely, as Aubrey dragged the chair back to the desk she had stolen it from. They winced a bit when it let out a particularly loud squeak.

"Anytime Chloe. You know that."

* * *

Aubrey arrived at 5:30 that night after spending a particularly grueling afternoon finishing paperwork. Aubrey was a very firm believer that school work should stay in school and her personal life should stay well away from her work, with the exception of Chloe of course, hence why she stayed so late. So when she opened the door to her and Jesse's lovely apartment she was thrilled that Jesse was as equally eager to cover the topic of Beca and Chloe, after the meal he wonderfully prepared for them of course.

"God, you're my savior," She murmured, giving him a quick peck and sipping her red wine.

"God? I thought you said I was your savior?" Jesse joked, wrapping his arms around her waist. He pressed his lips gently against the blonde's neck. "Hard day?"

"No more than usual," Aubrey replied casually. "You?"

"Same old, same old. I'm making headway on that script though." He responded, referring to the movie screenplay he was working on.

"That's Aca-awesome babe." Aubrey beamed at him.

"So, I heard something interesting from Beca today." He remembered, as he removed his arms from his girlfriend's waist to begin setting the table for dinner.

"Yeah?" Aubrey asked, curious. She had heard Chloe's side of the story, but was yet to hear Beca's. Aubrey attempted to help him, but instead got pushed into a chair by Jesse, who also topped up her wine glass.

"Yeah." He piled food on both of their plates as he told her all Beca had told him, confirming Aubrey's suspicions that the tiny brunette had finally accepted her toner. As they ate, Aubrey relayed what Chloe had said to her, including the part when she had decided they were better off just friends. "We need to fix that." He declared.

"Agreed." Aubrey said. "First and foremost, Chloe needs to dump Tom. Preferably soon. I can't stand him. He is the biggest douche-bag since Bumper Allen." Aubrey stated in utter disgust.

"Agreed." Jesse said. "You have to convince Chloe to dispose of Tom." He took a bite of his meal.

"Ha. Easier said than done." Aubrey pointed out.

"And," Jesse continued, ignoring Aubrey's comment since he had complete faith in Aubrey's persuasion skills, "then, I will convince Becs to tell Chloe how she feels."

"Way, way easier said than done." Aubrey smirked at his excitement. Jesse was very happy his friend would finally be content.

"Meanwhile, we keep getting them to hangout with each other. I know for a fact Beca hasn't heard from Chloe since the awkward almost-kiss, and she didn't come in to get her vanilla latte this morning like she usually does." He said, getting more excited as their plan was formulated.

"So, we force them together, dropping hints that Beca should replace Tom?" Mission impossible, it seemed to Aubrey.

Step 1) Dispose of The asshat

Step 2) Try to get Beca to tell Chloe about her feelings

Step 3) Get them to hangout the way they did before things got awkward.

Step 4) Then let it all fall into place.

"It seems like the perfect plan to me." Jesse said, triumphantly dropping his fork to his plate with a clatter.


	4. Not a Fear of Heights, a Fear of Falling

**A/N: First off I would just like to thank you all for the amazing response we have had for this fic so far, and I know YouJustGotPitchSlapped feels the same. **

**I also have to apologise. YouJustGotPitchSlapped is going away for three weeks which means that after this chapter there will be a bit of a hiatus. Not to worry though, it will not be abandoned! We both love writing this so much that we promise to update as soon as we can :)**

**I do not own Pitch Perfect or any of its characters**

* * *

"So, Beca have you texted her yet?" Jesse asked with a curious eyebrow raised as he leaned across the coffee shop counter.

"No." Beca replied, swatting him away.

"Are you going to?"

"No." She pushed past him to get to the machine. She added a shot of espresso to a take-out cup. Her focus only remained trained on the caffeine she was preparing for someone in desperate need of a good wake up.

"You haven't spoken to her in a week Becs!" He said, exasperated. "Just swallow your pride, admit you miss her, and text the girl!"

"She hasn't texted me either though," Beca defended, "If she wanted to hang out she would have arranged it." She flicked a switch on the machine next to the coffee maker and poured scalding milk into the cup she was holding.

"And what if she's been thinking the same about you?" He queried, the question having an obvious effect on the brunette as he cleaned the machine Beca had just used. "You're so stubborn, the both of you." Beca's eyebrows were furrowed and Jesse could practically hear the cogs turning in her head as she considered all possibilities. After a few seconds she shook her head.

"Jess, I am so done with this conversation." She said, adding a dash of vanilla syrup to the cup. She gave it a quick stir before adding a bit of the frothed up milk to the top of the cup before adding the lid.

"You're just lucky you have me and Aubrey." He said, smirking. Smirking was something he found himself doing a lot nowadays.

"What?" She said, knitting her eyebrows together again as she turned around, cup in hand, to the counter. "One vanilla latte!" She shouted, placing it on the counter and waiting for the customer to retrieve it.

"Thanks Becs." A timid voice said. Beca's eyes snapped up and they met the crystal blue eyes of Chloe. She gave her a shy smile. Beca shot a death-glare to Jesse who immediately dropped his gaze back to cleaning. "Do you have a minute?" Beca opened her mouth to reply but Jesse beat her to it.

"She's actually due a break now, so you have her for fifteen."

"Thanks, Jesse." Beca said with gritted teeth. She removed her apron and gestured towards the door before holding it open for Chloe. Without a second thought, she withdrew a box of cigarettes from her back pocket and stuck one in her mouth, igniting it with a click of her lighter.

"Uhm well I just wanted to say tha- BECA MITCHELL WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Chloe shouted as she saw her. Beca froze. She had been so used to smoking on her breaks that she had forgotten Chloe was with her.

"Uh, it's a... it's a metaphor?" She winced at her own excuse, bracing herself for a lecture. Chloe snatched the offending object from Beca's hand and threw it onto the floor, rubbing it into the concrete with the sole of her shoe.

"It. Is. Not. A. Fuck. Ing. Met. A. Phor." She yelled, punctuating each syllable with a punch to Beca's arm.

"Ow!"

"Your smoking a lit cigarette! You haven't smoked in years Beca! What the fuck were you thinking?!" Chloe was gesturing wildly with her arms as she shrieked. "Do you even know what it could do to you? You could die! You could get cancer!"

"In which order?"

"Do not joke with me young lady this is a serious matter!" The redhead growled.

"Sorry! I'm sorry, okay? I won't do it any more." She threw the pack into the trash-can. "See?"

"If I see you doing that again I will end you. I will fucking end you." Chloe threatened, finally calming down enough to drink her coffee Beca had so kindly prepared for her.

"Sorry." Beca repeated, beginning to regret her rash decision of throwing them away. "I've been a little stressed out." She sat down on a nearby bench, Chloe mimicking her movements.

"Why?" The redhead asked. The immediate answer was 'Because I'm in love with you,' Beca thought. But she only shrugged in response. "I'm sorry I didn't text or anything."

"It's fine." Beca reassured, forcing a smile. "I mean, it's not like I contacted you either." Chloe linked her arm through Beca's and rested her head on the brunette's shoulder.

Beca's stomach squirmed, naturally.

"Can we hang out tonight?" Chloe asked.

"Sure." Beca said, giving into the impulse and resting her head on top of Chloe's. Chloe smiled at the small action. "How's Tom?" Beca asked after a small silence. She felt Chloe tense against her.

"Fine." She replied quickly. A little too quickly. The smile had instantly slipped from Chloe's face at the mention of her boyfriend, and she suddenly realized what she was doing. She lifted her head from Beca's shoulder and removed her arm. "I should go, I have to get back to work. What time do you finish tonight?"

"Five." Beca responded, instantly missing the contact. "I'll see you then?" Chloe nodded and bit her lip slightly. A second later she pressed a chaste kiss against Beca's cheek before she hurried off. Beca felt the spot on her cheek burning as she wandered back into the coffee shop in a slight daze, a smile tugging on her lips.

"You're welcome." Jesse said smugly as Beca wrapped her apron around her waist again. Beca's smile immediately dropped and morphed into a threatening frown.

"Don't push it, Swanson. I can still kill you."

* * *

Later that night and Beca was lounging on her couch, with Chloe practically on top of her. Her head was laying against Beca's chest as they watched rubbish TV, her breathing somewhat comforting to Chloe. Beca was absent-mindedly running a hand through Chloe's hair, causing the redhead to grin uncontrollably. It confused her. How could such a common action cause happiness to erupt inside her?

Although Beca appeared as calm and relaxed, inside she was freaking out. Her stomach was fluttering and doing miniature happy dances and her heart was pounding uncomfortably in her chest. In her head she was trying to focus on controlling her breathing, so Chloe didn't think there was something wrong.

And what a stupid idea it was. Chloe always knows when there's something wrong.

"Your heart is beating really fast." Chloe voiced softly. "And I can practically hear the cogs turning in your brain." She sat up, allowing Beca to move from beneath her. "Are you okay?"

"Yup. I'm top-notch." Beca lied, a little less convincing than she'd have liked. Chloe raised her eyebrows skeptically. "I'm fine." she reassured.

"Becs..."

"Do you wanna get some fresh air?" Beca said, the intensity of Chloe's gaze causing her to feel suddenly hot and claustrophobic. Her lungs and heart needed a break for a minute or two.

"Sure." Chloe replied, a little perplexed. Beca grabbed her keys and led Chloe out of the apartment, taking a right towards the door that led to the roof. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise." Beca replied with a slight grin, propping the roof door open. She walked up the small flight of stairs and opened the door, barely noting that the redhead had paused at the doorway. Chloe let out a small squeak, alerting Beca, when she saw where they were. "Chlo'?"

"Shit Beca, this is really high!" She squealed, clinging to Beca's arm so tight she almost cut off the circulation, her eyes squeezed shut.

"Dude, are you scared of heights?" Beca's eyes widened at the new information. All this time and she had never known.

"No." She responded, her eyes still screwed shut. Beca laughed lightly. "Fine. Maybe a little."

"Just open your eyes slowly. We won't go near the edge, I promise." Beca encouraged softly. Chloe opened one eye but shut it again almost immediately. "Hang on." Beca lowered them down so they were sitting, their backs pressed against the wall around the door. "We're as far away from the edge as we can be and we're sat down. It's technically impossible to fall off."

"I think I'll just keep my eyes shut anyway." Chloe said, burying her head into Beca's shoulder.

"You really don't want to miss this sunset." Beca baited, gently lifting Chloe's head. Chloe gave in and opened her eyes.

"Whoa," She whispered, feeling her fear slipping away.

Chloe could see the city stretching out beneath them. The windows of the buildings all reflecting the beautiful orange-y pink hue that decorated the sky. Chloe turned to look at Beca who had closed her eyes, smiling to herself as the gentle wind whipped the hair from her face. "Feel any better?" Chloe asked. Beca opened her eyes and nodded, turning back to face the view. "This is amazing, Becs."

"I know." Beca turned to face at Chloe again. The sun was hitting her face perfectly. Her red curls appearing even more bright and full of life than usual, and her eyes radiant, tinted orange. She was practically glowing. "You know you're beautiful, right?"

"Beca..."

"You are. I'm sorry but there's no way around it. You're beautiful and you deserve to be told everyday." Beca said, cupping Chloe's cheek with her hand a little hesitantly. Chloe closed her eyes at the contact. It felt so right, but that thought felt wrong. "When was the last time Tom told you that?"

"I don't know." Chloe murmured, her eyes filling with tears. She opened them and saw Beca's eyes drift to her lips. "Becs."

"Please, don't get mad." Beca whispered before she closed the gap between them, connecting their lips. It took Chloe a second to respond but soon her hands were wrapped around the brunette's neck as she pulled them impossibly closer. Their lips were moving in sync as their hands fumbled, trying to connect them in any other way possible. But suddenly, Chloe pulled away.

"Shit." She muttered, removing her hands from Beca's neck quickly.

"Chlo'..."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have... We're friends...right? Just friends," Chloe stood up, her eyes avoiding both Beca and the amazing view.

"Chloe." Beca said, panic beginning invade her chest. "Chloe, wait. Please."

"I'm sorry, Beca." She ran down the stairs and back into the apartment building. Beca rushed to edge and about a minute later she could see what looked like a redheaded figure burst onto the street and power-walk in the direction of her place.

"Fuck!" She screamed, kicking a nearby wall. Pain shot through her foot and she swore again. "Shit!" She rushed to her apartment and slammed the door shut, creating a loud thud that she would probably receive complaints about. But she didn't care. Right now she cared about the fact she had allowed her feelings to take control of her body and make her do something only an idiot would do. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" She roared, slamming her fist into the door several times. She pulled her phone out and tried calling Chloe. The redhead didn't answer so she tried again.

And again.

And again.

She urgently typed out a text and hit send.

**Chloe, I'm sorry. I so shouldn't have done that. Can we please talk about this? - B**

In a panic, she then dialed Jesse's number and paced her tiny apartment waiting for him to answer.

"What did you do now?" Jesse said upon answering.

"What makes you think I did something?" Beca replied, her voice laced with a mixture of frustration and confusion.

"Because Aubrey just got a phone call from what sounded like a mouse squealing." Jesse sighed.

"I kissed her."

"What?"

"I fucking kissed her. I kissed her and then she kissed me back and then she just fucking ran." She explained, still pacing, still furious.

"Shit." He said after almost a minute of silence.

"Yeah. Shit." She collapsed onto the sofa, her anger draining out of her being replaced with misery. "Can you come over?"

"Sure."

* * *

After ending her call to Aubrey, Chloe felt calm enough to go home. At least her seemingly endless waves of tears had subsided. Her phone buzzed again. Yet another text from Beca.

**Please talk to me. It was a mistake. You're right, we're just friends. - B**

Chloe's heart sank. _Of course it was a mistake,_ her mind berated her. _You don't actually think she likes you, do you? She was caught up in the moment, just like you._ Chloe shook herself.

She deleted the texts from Beca in case Tom saw them and then began slowly walking home.

She took a deep breath when she arrived and turned the key in the lock.

"That you babe?" She heard Tom shout from the living room.

"Yeah." Chloe replied, trying to sound upbeat. She walked in to see that Tom had filled the room with candles and flowers. The aroma was brilliant. Her breath hitched slightly at the sight. "Tom?" She questioned.

"I, uh, I've been acting like a douche. I know." He said, glancing down at his feet with both hands behind his back. Chloe noticed that he was dressed in a smart shirt and pants. "And I wanted to say sorry. Beca is your best friend and you should be allowed hang out with her without feeling guilty." He took her hands in one of his hands. "I... I just wanted to say that I love you. And we've been together for a really long time now. And...and I think we're ready for the next step." Slowly, keeping his eyes trained on Chloe's he ascended to his knee and removed his hand from his back. Her hands shot up to her mouth. Was she happy? Sad? Angry?

"Tom..."

"Chloe Beale, will you marry me?"


	5. I Need to Tell You Something

**A/N: Okay, so, massive massive massive apologies to start off. YouJustGotPitchSlapped's computer broke and she had WIFI trouble to so we've been out of contact for a couple of weeks. We're both super super sorry it's been so long, but we're back now!**

**Thank you for sticking with us :)**

**We do not own Pitch Perfect or any of its characters.**

* * *

"Beca? Becs it's me, Jesse. Open up!" Jesse yelled, knocking thoroughly on Beca's apartment door. He kicked the floor as he waited for the entrance to open. When it did open, after a minute or so, he was greeted by the unpleasant stench of beer, and Doritos. "Jesus Becs, did it have to be Doritos? Seriously."

"Doritos and Beer are the perfect combination for heartbreak. I was going to go for ice cream but that's a little cliché for my liking," her voice was plain. Not sarcastic, like Jesse would have imagined the sentence to be if the circumstances were different. "Do you want one?"

"I'll pass. Thanks," he denied the offer quickly.

"Get me one then."

"Uh, Becs I think you've had enough for today. I mean, 2, 3, 4…5 beers already?" He said, casting a glance at the bottle covered coffee table.

"Fine. I'll fucking get one myself," Beca muttered angrily under her breath. She stood up and semi-wobbled to the fridge and snatched her 6th beer before returning to the seat. Jesse followed her hesitantly, unsure what to say. A couple of minutes passed of a painful silence before Beca finally spoke. "I'm a fucking idiot," she said, her voice cracking. She rubbed away the tears that were beginning to pool in her eyes quickly with her palm, before taking a short gulp of her drink.

"You aren't an idiot," Jesse whispered, just loud enough so that Beca could hear.

"Yes, Jesse, I am," she said with a hollow laugh, as if she was laughing at her own stupidity. "I mean, what did I think would happen? Jesus, I'm an even bigger idiot for thinking she might actually like me too."

"She kissed you back right? She didn't immediately take off?" Jesse asked hopefully.

"Yeah," Beca dismissed it with her hand. "Yeah she did. But it doesn't mean anything."

Jesse argued, "She kissed you back! Do you not know what that means? She wants the same damn thing as you, but she's too afraid to do it."

"Quit getting my hopes up." The brunette said, swallowing another large gulp of beer.

"Quit wallowing in non-deserving self-pity and bottles of beer and go and get your girl!" Jesse reached over to Beca and grabbed her bottle.

"And get shot down again?" She said scoffed, snatching her beloved beer back. Nobody takes her drink when she's sad.

"Did you say anything before you kissed her? Anything that had some sort of indication to the fact you have feelings for her?"

"I… I guess…" Had she? She furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to recall the scene through her blurry memory. "I told her she was beautiful."

"Becs, you're gonna have to spell it out to her," he said, sighing. "With like, fucking alphabet soup or something."

"I'm generally not a sappy person."

"Everyone's sappy when it when it comes to people they love," he said, impatient.

"I do not love her," Beca argued weakly.

"Why are you even bothering to give me that bullshit. Beca, I'm not an idiot." Jesse sighed, resting his chin on his hands. "Your only option is to tell her."

"No! No, I don't wanna go out. I wanna stay here, here with my beer, my Doritos, and just give the drama in my life a break. Is that okay with you?" Beca said.

"Nope, you aren't going to sweep this one under the rug," he said, defiant. "As your best guy friend in the world, I order you to go out, tell her you love her, then get married and have adorable aca-babies together. Is that okay with you?"

"Jesse- Jesse stop! -Stop pushing me out the fucking door!"

"It breaks my heart to kick you out of your own home, but it is my responsibility," Jesse grinned as he dragged her for the last few steps.

"Jesse! I'm telling you-"

"Nope!" Jesse slammed the door shut, leaving Beca, grumpy, without her beer, standing on the other side.

"I hate you!" Beca called out, after beginning to step down the first couple stairs. It appeared Jesse had developed a strong resolve, since furiously knocking on the door and shouting profanity alongside, "let me in!", over and over didn't seem to have an effect on the man.

"Love you too Becs!" He returned shortly after, the smile practically visible in his words.

You can't hold it against her that she got lost a couple of times on the way to Chloe's apartment. She hadn't been there in a while, okay? And running, drunk, didn't really help her to navigate her way through the city.

So, it's kinda expected that she's terribly out of breath by the time she reached Chloe's front door, where she knocked heavily and waited for Chloe to answer. The adrenaline from her sprint began to wear off, and it was then that she began to realise the stupidity of her actions. And the nauseating feeling didn't really help.

"Babe? Who's that?"

_Perfect. Tom just had to be there, didn't he?_

Chloe swung the door open, surprised to see Beca, panting and sweating in a wobbly stance opposite her. "Hi..."

"Hey. Uh, can we…can we talk?" It wasn't exactly ideal circumstances. She probably should have worn more appropriate clothing, or taken a taxi. All things to remember for the future.

"Um, yeah. Although it isn't really the best time," Chloe said, following Beca who had backed away from the house slightly, putting distance between them and Tom. "Did you run here?"

"Yeah," Beca breathed, "quite the calorie burner. I-" She paused, unsure of how to continue. "I need to tell you something." She ran a hand through her hair, trying to calm her nerves.

"Beca? What happened to your hand?" Chloe said, closing the gap between them slightly. Beca looked down at her hand, surprised to see the knuckles bruised and red from when she had slammed it into the wall. Beca quickly grabbed her hand back and tucked it in her pocket, not wanting to explain the reason behind the bruising.

"It doesn't matter right now."

"Let me see," Chloe said, taking it in her own.

"Chloe I'm fine," Beca said. Then her eyes fell on Chloe's hand. She held it, her thumb brushing across the new engagement ring. "Chloe, what... What is this?" Her heart was thumping and her mouth was suddenly dry. "Is this... Are you..." Beca's voice failed her. She needed to hear Chloe say it.

"I…"

Her breathing became erratic, yet she persisted. "It's a yes or no answer."

"Beca!" Tom's voice came from behind them. "Has Chloe told you the good news yet? We're engaged!" He threw his arm around Chloe's shoulders and squeezed. A glass of champagne in his hand.

Beca took a step back.

And another.

And another.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," she said, her voice a harsh whisper. She turned and left.

"Beca!" Chloe was prepared to sprint out after her best friend, but was pulled back by her boyf- no. Her fiancé.

"Why did she run? She should be happy for you," Tom said, his hand tightening around the stem of his glass..

"She ran here, for God knows how long just to tell me something, and then you spring that on her like there's no tomorrow!" Chloe yelled, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"And how, is that my fault?" He asked.

"Sorry- it's not. Sorry babe. I should probably go and check on her, then I'll come back and we can finish eating?"

"Yeah, of course." His temper became almost non-existent, and he his arm from her shoulder, kissing her forehead a little sloppily.

Chloe almost sprinted once she was released, intent on finding Beca as soon as possible. Fortunately for her, Beca hadn't made it that far, as the consummation of 6 beers had finally made her hunch over and puke into a trash can.

"Beca?" Chloe tentatively called out her name, approaching her.

"I'm fine," she said as she wiped any remaining stomach-contents with her sleeve.

"I'm sorry. Tom shouldn't have told you like that," Chloe said, resisting the urge to hug the seemingly broken brunette in front of her.

"Hah, you think that's why I ran? Because he told me that you're engaged to a man who you argue with almost every day, out of the blue? Yeah, sure. It's the surprise element that got me," Beca spat, trying her best to keep herself together. To stop her resolve from crumbling and hold up against Chloe's hurt face.

"I'm sorry. What else do you want me to do?"

"Break up with that douche? Maybe? I don't know, it's just a suggestion," Beca laughed coldly. There was a horrible silence between them. "You should go."

"What was it you ran here to tell me?" Chloe asked, not moving.

"It doesn't matter any more."

"Tell me," the redhead persisted, taking a step closer.

Oh, Fuck it.

"I'm in love with you," she said. She heard Chloe gasp.

The tears she had fought so hard to keep at bay were now spilling down Beca's cheeks.

She'd said it.

She'd finally released her deep dark secret that was the inspiration for most of her mixes, and partly the reason she'd always hated Tom so much. It was out. Out and would never be un-heard.

And what a fucking mistake it was.

"You… You're…" Chloe breathed, "Really?"

Beca pointed to a nearby building. "Yes. 'Ready to jump off that roof if you asked me to' in love with you." Her voice cracked again.

"I'm... Beca, I'm sorry. I just... I can't."

"Don't worry about it. I should have fucking expected this after all, I mean you're fucking engaged, right?" Beca closed her eyes and paused. "You don't get engaged to someone unless you really fucking love them. Unless you want to spend the rest of your life with them. I just... I just need to know, are you going to be happy spending your life with him?"

_Am I? Am I truly?_ "I... Of course." She tripped on her own words.

"Okay," Beca said, breathing slowly as her stomach threatened to empty itself for a second time. "Then I am gonna have to stay away from you a bit. Wrap my head around things, you know?"

"Beca, don't do this," Chloe choked out, tears filling her own eyes.

"Do you know how much it hurts, watching your best friend, someone you love more than anything in the world, marry someone else? I'll tell you what it feels like. It feel like," her breathing was getting erratic again, coming out in short gasps. "It feels like getting punched in the stomach, every minute of every day. It feels like I'm having open-heat surgery awake. My heart gets broken a thousand times over every time I see you with him. It hurts a fucking lot. I'm still going to be your friend. I'm still going to be here for you but I just need some time. Okay?" She said, scared her resolution would break at any minute. Chloe nodded. Beca couldn't stand seeing the redhead look so devastated so she took a few steps forward before pulling her best friend into a hug. "You'll be okay. You've got Tom, you've got Aubrey."

"They aren't you though," Chloe whispered.

"That isn't fair," Beca said, crying harder than ever. She pushed Chloe away and began walking backwards again. "You can't expect me to just sit around and watch you get married, Chlo'. It'll only be for a little bit, but I need time."

And she was gone.

The sound of Chloe's sobs burning in her ears.

If you'd stopped her and asked her where she going she wouldn't have been able to tell you.

She was simply following a path. Taking random turns that seemed somewhat familiar, passing signs and crossing roads, hoping to get home with her blurry vision and clouded judgement. Eventually, she found herself at her best friend's shared apartment. Somewhere along the way it had started raining, so she pulled her drenched hood back and pushed the buzzer connected to Aubrey and Jesse's home.

"Aubrey Posen," the blonde's voice crackled through, barely audible through the pitter-patter of the rain.

"Hey 'Bree," Beca sniffed. "It's Beca. Can I come in?"

"Uh, sure. Come on up." Another buzzer let Beca know the door had unlocked and she trudged up the stairs slowly, until she reached the 4th floor and knocked on their door.

"Hey Beca, how- Oh shit. What happened? Are you okay?!" Aubrey asked, pulling the brunette into their apartment and guiding her onto their sofa so they could sit opposite each other.

"Oh, I'm peachy. I'm on a roller coaster that only goes up my friend," Beca quoted harshly before collapsing further into the sofa. The thought of that stupid book she was quoting from reminded her of Chloe. She had read it after they saw the film together and the memory of that night brought on a whole new wave of pain. "Although I wouldn't mind a drink. You have any wine? Or cyanide?"

"Ye- Yeah. Of course." Aubrey rushed up and poured a glass of wine, then gave it to her when she returned. "Here."

"Thanks Aubrey. You are awesome. On the other hand, Jesse's advice," Beca laughed at herself, "not so much."

"I heard my name. How did it go? Did you speak to her?" Jesse entered the living room with his own drink.

"Oh yeeaaah, I certainly did. And guess what? She's fucking engaged to a fucking douche bag and there is nothing I can fucking do about it. And she's.. She's happy."

"Shit," Jesse said.

"Yeah. Shit. So, now that I have confessed my undying love for my best friend, which was quickly rejected by the way, I told her I would spend a little time away from her." Beca said, wondering if she'd ever run out of tears.

"Shit," Jesse repeated.

"She was pretty upset. And so am I. How am I expected to manage Chloe Beale withdrawal? I won't make it one fucking day. I don't want to spend time away from her," she sobbed. "I want to be with her." Her voice cracked and Aubrey felt her heart break for the small girl.

"I know, Becs. For what it's worth, we really thought Chloe felt the same," Aubrey tried to comfort her by placing a hand on Beca's arm.

"It doesn't matter now," Beca suddenly stood up and walked towards the door. "Sorry for barging in."With a glare from Aubrey saying 'Go after her!', Jesse shot up and grabbed the DJ's wrist just before she made it out the door. Aubrey gripped her phone and speed dialled Chloe.

"Beca, wait." Jesse said desperately. "I'm sorry." He walked with Beca to the stairwell and watched as she paced the tiny landing between the two flights of stairs.

"It's not your fault. I should have just kept my fucking mouth shut. I'm an idiot," she said.

"It was worth it, you wouldn't have been happy."

"Oh, it was worth it? Getting my heart ripped out and stomped on was worth it? Wow, the world really is messed up." She stopped her actions and faced her friend. "If I'd just kept my mouth shut, I would have been happy. I would still be friends with her. I could have made it work."

"No, you couldn't have. It would have hurt you on the inside more than now. It isn't fair on you."

"I DON'T CARE." Beca roared, balling her fists up. Resisting the urge to punch the wall again. "Don't you get that I would rather be miserable with her, than miserable without her?"

"But, could you really have watched your best friend get married while pretending everything was okay? Pretending you weren't in love with her?"

A moment of complete silence passed with no indication that Beca would be answering the question any time soon, until her legs passed out under her and she crumbled to the ground with her back against the wall, the weight of her thinking too much.

Finally, she whispered, "No." She said. "I couldn't."


	6. You Need a Friend

**A/N: Hello hello hello hello hello, you lovely bunch! Here is the latest chapter!**

**YouJustGotPitchSlapped and I want to thank you once again for all your continued support :)**

**I do not own Pitch Perfect or any of its characters**

* * *

It had been a week.

Or, she thought it had. A week at least.

Her days were lost in a haze of drinking in the day and lying awake at night. Staring at her phone, hoping she would call.

So far she hadn't called.

Beca didn't know how she had survived this long without seeing Chloe, talking to Chloe, just being in Chloe's presence. It was like she literally exuded light and joy and happiness and all things positive.

Seriously.

Chloe is just this ball of light with a little bit of red here and some blue there. And since Beca considers herself to be a literal badass ball of darkness, (opposites quite clearly attract in this case) and Chloe being the only joy in her life, she had been a little… dull, this past week. In fact, dull was an understatement. She had been totally, fucking, miserable.

The only thing that ever popped up inside her head, besides Chloe, was, Fucking Hell Mitchell you are the most idiotic person in the world. Seriously, what were you thinking? Over and over and over and over again.

After a week away from work and other people, she begrudgingly rolled out of bed and completed the necessary stages to look at least somewhat decent for her day at work.

She didn't want to go back to work, but there was only so many times she could call in sick before she got fired. And she needed her wages to pay for the wonderfully numbing alcohol.

"Beca! You're here!" Jesse said when she arrived at the coffee shop.

"Let's not make a big deal out of it," she said dismissively, tying the apron around her waist.

"But-"

"Jesse, unless the next words out of your mouth are, 'the past week was a dream and everything is back to normal', then I'd close it," she said, filling a take-out cup with coffee and calling it out.

Jesse closed his mouth and wiped away non-existent coffee spillage with a cloth.

"Do you want to come over tonight?" He asked.

"I'm good, thanks," she replied, stacking cups on a tray with unnecessary force.

"We're worried about you," he said, lowering his voice.

"Well, don't," she stated bitterly, "I'm a grown up, I can take care of myself."

"Yeah, it seems that way," Jesse said with a sigh as she carried the tray into the back. Aubrey entered and leaned across the counter to give Jesse a kiss.

"She's back?" Aubrey asked, watching as Beca disappeared into the back. "Any luck with her coming over?" She questioned as he made her coffee. He shook his head. "Can you make Chloe's drink too? She's waiting outside." Beca re-entered and greeted Aubrey with a simple nod. Jesse handed Beca the drinks order. As she added the shot of vanilla syrup to the latte, her heart constricted. She was holding Chloe's drink. Tears burned her eyes and Beca internally kicked herself for her emotions. She was supposed to want this.

"Nice to see you back at work," Aubrey said. "Are you okay?" Beca nodded, putting the coffee down in front of the blonde.

"How is she?" Beca asked, trying to pull her eyes away from the coffee.

"She misses you," Aubrey said. "But she understands why you need to keep your distance."

"But she's okay?" Beca asked again.

"Yeah," Aubrey said, "shall I tell her you said hello?" Beca shrugged. Knowing that Chloe was just outside but wouldn't come in was tearing her up all over again. The shop wasn't busy so she wandered into the back again, sitting on the sofa in the staff-room and pulling her knees up to her chest, wondering if she'd ever felt this unhappy before. "She's not doing very well, is she?" Jesse shook his head.

"I'll see you tonight," he said, leaning over the counter once again to kiss her.

* * *

Beca's shift ended at around 8 that night. She wanted a drink. She needed a drink. Upon opening the fridge, however, she found that she was out of beer.

"Motherfucker," she muttered under her breath, slamming the fridge door shut. She began looking through cupboards in search of any other alcohol. Her eyes landed on a bottle of vodka. She hated vodka. The only reason she had it was for Chloe. Vodka was always Chloe's drink of choice. But she didn't have an alternative, so she grabbed the bottle and a blanket from the sofa, and trudged up the stairs until she reached the roof slowly. She sat against the wall of the stairwell and took a generous gulp of the clear liquid. It hit the back of her throat and she coughed. The taste was disgusting but the burning sensation as the alcohol travelled down her throat was a welcome feeling. It was a little bit like a reality check. If she can feel it, then she's still technically alive, right?

Because not seeing Chloe for so long made her feel a little dead inside.

She got the urge to text her. Then the urge to text Jesse. Even Aubrey. She didn't though. Instead she watched as the sky swirled into several bright colours, red, pink, purple, orange and yellow. A streak of orange matched Chloe's hair perfectly. She smiled before the tears came. So she took another gulp and carried on staring at the sky. She wondered why the sky was always these set colours. Why was it never green? Her thoughts were interrupted by the buzz of her phone. She tried to suppress the excitement that it might be Chloe.

It wasn't. It was Jesse.

**I'm outside your door and you're not answering. Do I have to kick it down? Because I will - J**

Beca sighed.

**I'm on the roof. Please don't kick me door. I need it for keeping weirdos like you out. - B**

A second later and Jesse arrived, out of breath and pale.

"Jesus, when you said you were on the roof I thought... But you're not. Good," he said sitting beside her.

"You're an idiot," she said, rolling her eyes at him.

"What are you doing up here?" He asked, sliding down the wall to sit beside her.

"Drinking and looking at the sky," she replied.

"Beca, you can't keep doing this, you know that right? Chloe's just as sad as you-"

"Don't," she said, cutting him off. "Don't tell me she's this unhappy. Because, fuck Jesse, I've never been this unhappy in my life. And you're telling me she feels like this? What do I do? I can't... I... Fuck, what do I do?"

"I don't know, Becs," he said, his voice soft. He lifted his arm and wrapped it around her, as Beca rested her head on his shoulder. She would have usually refused this kind of contact from anyone other than Chloe, but right now, she needed it. "This must really suck."

"That's an understatement," she said. "You don't have to sit here in the cold with me, you know. You've got a girlfriend waiting for you at home."

"She's worried about you. We both are," he said.

"I don't need babysitting," Beca said, swallowing another fiery, disgusting mouthful of vodka.

"No," he said, taking the bottle from her and taking a swig himself. "You need a friend." He winced as the alcohol hit his taste buds and Beca laughed at him. "We were so certain Chloe liked you back," he said after while.

"Yeah, well, the world isn't a wish granting factory, now is it?"

"Are you quoting The Fault in Our Stars, at me?" He smirked.

"I read it for her," she said, tears reappearing as if they'd never left.

* * *

Chloe frowned.

The usually bubbly redhead wasn't taking it any better than Beca. Her happy demeanour had transformed into fake joy when it was needed, and any laughing that was done was only done to make Tom, or Aubrey feel better. Tom hadn't even seemed to notice his fiancé's attitude to the wedding plans, or the fact that she only ate a few forkfuls of food, and pushed the dinner around in her plate to look like she had consumed at least some of it. The oldest trick in the book.

The lack of Beca Mitchell for the past week had made her miserable.

She supposes she hadn't really noticed how damn much she'd miss the brunette. Sure, Chloe knew that it would take a great toll on her life, emotionally, but not this much, right? She hadn't really thought of a world without the DJ until now. She'd always just assumed they'd be together forever. Not in that way, of course…but-…nevermind.

Everyday since the incident, Chloe had stared at Beca's name on her phone, dying to call or text her. But then she remembered the look on Beca's face when she'd asked for some time apart, and she put her phone down.

"So, I was thinking, a 3 tiered lemon cake, with totally awesome icing patterns. Or we could have red velvet! Or, like, fucking triple chocolate or something! What do you think babe?" Tom asked, handing her his iPad which was full of pictures of different cakes.

_He's a nice guy_, Chloe thought, looking at his beaming face, _why can't I get excited about this?_ She forced herself to plaster a smile to her face.

"I think they're all wonderful babe, honestly, I can't decide. Why don't you choose?"

Under his breath, Tom muttered, "You're the woman, it's your fucking job," thinking Chloe wouldn't hear as he turned to leave. She did, but didn't comment. He's right. It's your job. Be happy! But, as hard as she tried, she just couldn't get into it. She couldn't get into what cake decorations to have, whether the dress be the colour of ivory, beige, or eggshell. She could almost hear Beca's voice in her head saying "aren't those colours all just fucking white?" She didn't even know who her bridesmaids were.

Oh God, the bridesmaids.

Chloe almost laughed at herself. Well Beca's definitely out of the question. And then she almost cried. How could she get married without the brunette standing beside her, making jokes?

She returned her gaze to the iPad and tried to focus on the cakes. They're all the same, she thought, miserably. She tried to care. She really tried.

The iPad pinged, a grateful distraction from trying to decide which Cons outweighed the other Cons for each cake, but as she read the notification, her mouth went dry.

**Facebook Message from Cara Bishop: Hey babe, I miss you. Let's meet up again soon xxx**

Chloe froze and blinked a couple of times, her brain trying to comprehend the message. Her breathing turned erratic.

"Babe, what's wrong?" Tom asked, re-entering the dining room. Chloe looked like she'd seen a ghost.

"Who…who's Cara?" Chloe gulped, but her suspicious and untrusting eyes didn't waver.

"Cara Bishop, Pete's girlfriend. What about her?" He said, still confused.

"Yes. Cara Bishop," Chloe clenched her jaw, "The woman who sent you a very compromising message."

"What? Let me see," he took the iPad from Chloe and then laughed. "Pete's still signed into my Facebook app from yesterday. Look." He showed her and her face softened.

"Sorry," she said immediately, standing up to hug him. "I'm an idiot."

"Well, it doesn't matter now, does it? It's just a silly mistake." He pecked her on the lips innocently. "Now, have you decided on which cake we're gonna have?"

"No, not yet." Chloe murmured guiltily.

"Go and brainstorm in the living room then, I'll bring you a beer." He offered.

"Thanks, you're the best babe. I love you." Chloe said.

"I love you too, babe." Tom returned affectionately. The redhead turned and left the room, leaving the man alone. He opened up the Facebook app and typed out a message.

**Facebook Message to Cara Bishop: Can't wait. Same time same place? xxx **


End file.
